Robert Odell Wyatt, 80, of Oak Park, died April 27, 2026, after a brief illness. He was surrounded by loving friends and his spouse of nearly 29 years, Terri Lackey. An Episcopal priest in the dioceses of Chicago and Alabama, where he had a second home, his love of the Church, its sacraments, and God were the center of his life. His love for his wife came next, followed by his friends and family — and, in his own words, Amber’s martinis at Victory Italian in Oak Park.
Highly educated and intelligent, he was a proud contrarian and gifted storyteller. He was known for a wry sense of humor that infused both his sermons and his daily life.
An only child, born on Feb. 7, 1946, in Jackson, Tennessee, he loved to travel and had a passion for music, theater, opera, and sporting events. His father, Robert Odell Wyatt, died in 1991, and his mother, Sera Mae (Mebane) Wyatt, in 1998.
Before becoming an ordained priest in 2004, he worked as professor and director of communication research at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, 1979-2010. He was a book review editor, columnist, and critic at the Nashville Tennessean from 1978-1992 and served several years as Pulitzer Prize Jury Chair, the most memorable in 1985 when the jury awarded Studs Terkel the prize in general nonfiction for The Good War.
He was most proud of receiving the Founder’s Medal for First Honors from Vanderbilt University Divinity School in 2004. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of the South (Sewanee) in 1968 and earned a master’s degree in English and a PhD in Renaissance literature from Northwestern University (1970-73), as well as a master’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee (1977) and a master’s in pastoral studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School (2001-2003).
His wife, Terri, survives him, as well as his sisters-in-law, Jennifer Graham (Steve) and Rebecca Lackey (Jana); his brothers-in-law, Jim Lackey (Phyllis) and Doug Lackey (Layne); his cousins, Tommy and Janet Powell; and many nieces and nephews and friends. A former wife, Judith Caplan, also survives.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., May 23, at St Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Oak Park. Donations in his honor may be sent to Episcopal Relief and Development (episcopalrelief.org) or St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 545 S. East Ave., Oak Park, IL, 60304.